My Body Has Been Possessed By Someone - Chapter 20

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 20
* * *
“Are you going to see Father?”
A voice called out as I made my way toward Father’s study.
It was Kalen.
I turned to regard him with indifference. I couldn’t fathom what business he had that warranted such an approach.
Could he still harbor doubts about Lucy Adis’s condition?
“Lucy is fine now. You saw it yourself, didn’t you?”
“Are you truly leaving?”
“Yes. I told you already.”
After healing Lucy Adis, I would obtain Father’s permission for a divorce and live independently. I had disclosed my plans long ago.
There was no need for him to harbor unnecessary concerns that I might take root here.
‘Perhaps he doesn’t believe my words?’
He might worry that I would remain here.
To Kalen, I was filth that tarnished the family’s honor.
“I’m on my way to Father now to obtain his permission for the divorce. Once matters are settled, I’ll depart, so don’t concern yourself.”
I intended to end the conversation there, but Kalen appeared to have more to say.
For some reason, he seemed slightly tense as he wiped his face, then spoke rapidly.
“If you wish, I can arrange a suitable place for you to stay.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
I answered without hesitation, the words tumbling out immediately.
“If you’re thinking of repaying me for what I did for Lucy Adis, you needn’t. Allowing me to stay here for a time is already sufficient.”
“….”
“After this, we won’t have reason to see each other again.”
At that moment, Kalen’s lips hardened into an odd expression. It was as though he had bitten into something intensely bitter.
It was strange, but I felt no curiosity about it.
I turned away without further comment. There were more pressing matters demanding my attention now.
‘Will Father truly grant permission?’
It seemed likely he would refuse. How could I persuade him?
How could I convince someone who despises me?
* * *
“Father.”
After lingering before the study door for some time, I finally mustered my courage.
I knocked softly, then spoke.
“May I come in?”
“Come in.”
His response came far more swiftly than I anticipated.
Yet I could not bring myself to enter immediately.
I was far more anxious now than when I had entered my husband Silvien Valentino’s room not long ago.
‘Breathe, breathe. Gather your courage, Kanna.’
And finally, I opened the door.
At a desk before a large window, Alexandro Adis sat quietly, reading documents.
Brilliant sunlight poured down behind his back, and I narrowed my eyes against the glare.
My father’s crimson hair and pristine white shirt were saturated by the light, making them stand out all the more vividly.
Scratch, scratch. A fountain pen moved in Alexandro Adis’s neat hands.
I stood silently, watching him work.
Alexandro Adis wore glasses only when attending to his duties, and in this moment, he looked like a scholar.
Rather than a swordmaster commanding the continent, he resembled a man who had devoted his life to the pursuit of knowledge.
‘Truly, Father remains unchanged.’
A stranger might mistake me for his sister of a similar age rather than his daughter.
I gazed around in fresh admiration when I suddenly noticed countless letters stacked inside the fireplace.
‘That’s exactly the same as before. He still uses love letters as firewood.’
Perhaps because he retained the appearance of a beautiful youth, Alexandro Adis had always received countless love letters.
And he had never opened a single one, simply tossing them into the fireplace.
Nothing had changed at all.
So naturally, he must still hate me just as before.
“Father, if you don’t mind, could you spare me a moment of your time?”
At those words, Alexandro Adis lifted his face.
Beyond his perfectly aligned spectacles lay emotionless green eyes—so utterly devoid of warmth they seemed like dried emeralds set into his face.
“Am I not giving you my time now?”
….
Ah, that’s right. Allowing me to enter was itself granting me his time.
It was a foolish thing to say, and both my cheeks flushed slightly.
“I have something to ask of you.”
“Speak.”
“Please grant me a divorce from the Duke of Valentino.”
….
The scratching of the pen stopped abruptly.
Alexandro Adis set down his fountain pen. He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes as if soothing them. Then he interlaced his fingers and rested his hands on the desk.
“A divorce?”
“The fault lies entirely with the Valentino Family.”
I added quickly, lest he think I had been at fault. I had sacrificed my shins for this very moment.
“You must know Count Josephine Elester—my mother-in-law. She commanded me to pay my respects three times a day at fixed hours. I did.”
As I spoke, indignation surged up, and my emotions grew heated. I swallowed hard, pushing down my anger before continuing.
“For the past seven years, throughout my entire marriage, I did exactly that.”
….
“I was even disrespected by the maids. The maid who woke me would splash water from a vase on me, or sometimes slap my cheek to rouse me.”
And I explained what had happened before—the friction with Mary Goldian, the riding crop wielded by Josephine Elester, the neglect….
“If I remain in such a family, I will die. No—I will die.”
….
“I must divorce to survive. Please grant me this permission.”
Kanna Adis gazed directly into Alexandro Adis’s eyes as she pleaded.
She harbored no illusions that he would sympathize with her. She merely hoped this matter would be treated as an affront to the House of Adis itself.
An insult not to Kanna Adis, but to the Adis name. If framed that way, Alexandro Adis would surely be displeased as well.
And so….
“Very well.”
“….”
What?
“I shall have the Butler prepare the documents.”
What?
What?
What?
What did he just say?
What did Father just say?
Kanna Adis could scarcely believe it.
A divorce? And the Butler would handle the paperwork and send it on her behalf?
‘Wait, hold on. Compose yourself. Compose yourself.’
Though the outcome exceeded her expectations, she felt no joy whatsoever.
Because the answer was far too perfect. Father would never acquiesce to her wishes so readily.
She had expected him to tell her to die there instead, to vanish from his sight at once.
“You truly grant me this permission?”
At that, Alexandro Adis tilted his head slightly.
“Do you wish to withdraw your request?”
“No! Not at all! Please, allow me to divorce!”
“Understood.”
Is this real? Am I dreaming?
Kanna Adis nearly pinched her own cheek in disbelief. Of course, it was no dream. Father had truly, decisively granted the divorce!
‘As expected, Father is also displeased by the insult to the Adis name!’
No matter how much he despised her, she remained of Adis blood.
To be subjected to such torment by another house—worse, by the Valentino Family, who jointly guarded the Black Mist—was surely offensive to him.
“Thank you. Thank you so much, Father.”
Did he think the conversation had ended?
Alexandro Adis offered little response and merely lowered his gaze, adjusting his spectacles.
At that moment, Kanna Adis quickly added more.
“Ah, but please do not worry. I shall soon depart this estate and establish myself elsewhere.”
She needed to explain thoroughly, lest he change his mind.
What if he misunderstood and thought she might linger here?
He would find it far more agreeable to cast out his despised daughter to the Valentino Estate than to endure her presence. Then he would surely revoke the divorce permission.
‘That would be disastrous.’
So she must explain everything clearly beforehand.
“In truth, I’ve always wanted to leave the empire. My dream was to live in a coastal village in the Yalden Kingdom.”
Of course, I harbored no such wish. I had only discovered the Coastal Village in the Yalden Kingdom by unfolding a map days ago.
I was merely feigning desire to appease my father.
‘If I say “I’ll leave because Father dislikes it”—that would sound like defiance, wouldn’t it?’
And that could displease him. If a daughter he already despised dared to rebel on top of it all.
‘He might simply order me to die in Valentino.’
So I smiled brightly, speaking words my heart did not mean.
“I shall depart the moment the divorce is finalized.”
“….”
“And I shall never return.”
That should suffice. I bowed deeply at the waist.
“Then I shall take my leave. Forgive the intrusion….”
“My mind has changed.”
Above my lowered head, Alexandro Adis’s voice fell like a stone.
“I will not grant the divorce.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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